Have you ever wished so strongly that you could push your fears away, but there was always something stopping you? Have you wanted the audacity to stand up and give a clear presentation in front of a crowd, but were unable to feel confident? I remember one time I was on a game contest at my scout meeting. The leader of the group was asking questions that I knew the answers to, but my shyness and fears didn’t let me respond, so I stood there quiet and voiceless. It was a competition, and instead of answering, I was just speechless. I failed my group. That was one of the many times I have failed, and I regret it the most, because if it wasn’t for my fears and doubts, we would have won, I would have won, I would have defeated my fears.

After that event I went to my community for advice. They gladly accepted me and taught me a way to handle or face my fears and anxiety. They advised me to take my time and then express my feelings, let them out, and really stop caring about what others think, rather than being quiet and trying to be perfect all the time. We are here to make mistakes, too, and in the end we only live once. That really motivated me to express myself more.

However, in the beginning of the process, people did not react the way I expected. I was told by one group that those were feelings of weakness that shouldn’t be shown in public; on the other hand, others believed that we should never be embarrassed of those feelings, and that at some point in our lives everyone goes through similar confrontations. Especially nowadays among our generation, anxiety has become one of the most common mental illnesses, which is actually very concerning because not everyone will receive the support to learn that it is completely okay to feel this way sometimes. There’s no way to avoid risks or discomfort at all times, and thanks to these feelings we are capable of becoming better and more determined, trying harder, and making the best decisions possible for ourselves. Instead of resisting our feelings, we must embrace them. Then we can clear them and be free of them, which helps us move forward and seek to develop our personal signature in our community.